Editorial

Where does the hydrogen economy stand now, as 2025 draws to a close? The question seems obvious after the very well-attended Hydrogen Technology World Expo (HTWE) in Hamburg. But in the wake of the immense euphoria of recent years, it is becoming increasingly clear that the deployment of green hydrogen in various use cases such as shipping, chemicals, industry or for backup gas-fired power plants will take more time than was originally envisaged.

This is hardly surprising in the emergence of the hydrogen economy, as it involves the global development of a value chain. The initial implementation phase is often arduous in innovation processes. Around 2000, the expectation was that the North and Baltic Seas would be filled with wind farms inside of three to five years. In reality, though, it took another 10 to 12 years as the turbines were upgraded, the introduction of a feed-in tariff was needed and the state had to organise the grid connection. The German part of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea is now home to around 30 wind farms with a remarkable 10 gigawatts of output.

The trade fair also demonstrated that we have come a long way in regard to technology and project development. Our joint Hamburg stand clearly visualised the progress made in the two important core projects within the city’s hydrogen ecosystem. A major contract for the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub to construct an electrolyser system was placed just a few days prior to the trade fair, following last year’s order for the Siemens electrolyser.

24 of the 40 kilometres in Hamburg’s industrial hydrogen network are under construction or have already been completed. Connecting the Hamburg network to the core hydrogen network in Germany (hyperlink 1) is also progressing. A number of Hamburg stakeholders also used the fair to announce new projects to explore the utilisation of liquid hydrogen. There have also been major leaps forward in the field of hydrogen storage media and electrolyser materials, which will make hydrogen significantly cheaper.

Overall, the mood at the trade fair was full of expectation and positive vibes: significant projects are progressing, technology development is gathering pace and investors remain interested in project development. But the endeavour is still a marathon and not a dash. So far, a genuine alternative to decarbonisation through hydrogen has not appeared on the horizon – so patience will truly be a virtue!